Building construction



1953 A. F. THELANDER 2 3 BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Filed May 2, 1946 4Sheets-Sheet l xfl la ,0 5

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Feb. 24, 1953 THELANDER 2,629,139

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Filed May 2, 1946 4 Sheets-Shet 4 7' GENE PatentedFeb. 24, 1953 aszlias BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Adolph F. Thelander, GrossePointe, Mich., assignor to National Steel Corporation, a. corporation ofDelaware Application May 2, 1946, Serial No. 666,754

This invention relates generally to building construction and moreparticularly to prefabricated building units therefor.

In the past, prefabricated building units or structures, such as panels,have been provided for the purpose of decreasing building costs, butthese panels have not been entirely satisfactory for the following,among other reasons. In many instances it has been the practice to havewall framing, including studding, to which to secure the panels in orderto obtain a satisfactorily rigid wall. In other instances, a somewhatless rigid wall is obtained by using panel joiners in place of thestudding. In each of the above mentioned constructions the panels areusually made fast to the framing or to the joiners or are securedtogether in such manner that they cannot be readily removed. In othercases where the panels are readily removable, it is usually at theexpense of weather-tightness which is, of course, objectiona-ble inexterior walls. However, it is desirable, at least in some buildings,that the panels be readily removable, in order to obtain flexibility ofconstruction and arrangement with ease and without need of skilledlabor. Also, in these types of buildings, it is desirable thatadditional units or rooms can be easily added thereto; that the wallscan be rearranged or relocated and that even the entire building can bedisassembled and reassembled on a new site, if desired. It has beenproposed to use tongue and grooved panels to obtain the added wallrigidity and weathertight joints which interlocking, tongue and groovepanels afiord. However, if the tongue and groove panels are not securedtogether or to a common connector, there is no assurance that the jointswill be weathertight. In addition, such interlocked panels, because ofthe tongue and grooves, are not readily removed particularly anintermediate panel for in order to remove an intermediate panel, it has,in the past, been necessary that all of the panels from one end of thewall up to the intermediate panel must first be removed, which is, ofcourse, objectionable.

It is an object of the present invention to provide new and improvedinterlocking construction members by means of which weathertight rigidbuildings may be readily constructed which are flexible with respect toremoval, rearrangement and dissembly of the members. i Another object ofthe invention is to provide a new and improved building panel of acharacter such that need for wall framing is eliminated ior certaintypesof small buildings.

7 Claims. (Cl. -4)

Another object of theinvention is to provide new and improved wallstructure by means of which a rigid, weathertight exterior wall may beconstructed without framing and. with only a single course of thepanels.

A further object of the invention is to provide new and improvedinterlocking tongue and groove panels any one of which may be removedwithout disturbing the others.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent from the followingdetailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawingsin which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a building embodyingfeatures of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional view of an exterior wall of thebuilding, taken along the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view of an exterior wall of the buildintaken along the line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is an enlarged vertical sectional view, taken along the line4-4 of Figure 2, of the wall of the building showing the panelsconnected;

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4 showing the panels disconnected;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of a wall panel, takenalong the line 66 of Figure 3;

Figure 7 is a fragmentary elevational view of a pair of adjoiningpanels, looking from right to left at Figure 6;

Figure 8 is a horizontal sectional view of the building, taken near thefloor along the line 8-8 of Figure 2;

Figure 9 is a vertical sectional View of the building, taken at the roofalong the line 9--9 of Figure 1;

Figure 10 is a vertical sectional view of the building, taken at thefloor along the line Ill-I0 of Figure 1; and

Figure 11 is a horizontal sectional view of a corner of the building,taken along the line I l-I l of Figure 1.

In the drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment of theinvention, the building shown is constructed in part by buildingelements including a floor ID, a building member H, adjacent exteriorwalls I2, l3 and a roof I4. The walls l2, [3 are each constructedpreferably of a single course of prefabricated building members orpanels l5 which seat on the floor I0 and extend up to the roof I4 whichin turn may seat on the upper edges of the wall panels. The buildingmember may be a post to aid in supporting the roof or it may be anadapter or corner finishing panel joiner, as desired. The floor If] maycomprise a plurality of large wooden panels which may be laid on anysuitable foundation (not shown). Similarly, the roof it may comprise anumber of large wooden panels which may be joined together in any wellknown manner to effect a weathertight'roof.

The wall panels |5 are preferably of like construction, each including arectangular frame, preferably of steel construction, comprising oppositeside frame members It, ll, a top frame member l8 and a bottom framemember l9. These frame members are preferably in the form of channelseach comprising, a web 23 and oppositely disposed sides 2|, 22'", thechannels being preferably arranged to face outwardly or so that thesides 2|, 22 are directed outwardly around the four edges of the panel.At the corners of the panel frames, the side,'top and bottomframemembersmay be'welded or may be otherwise suitably secured together.Opposite sides of the panel frames may be covered with cover or finishsheets 23 of any suitable material which may be cemented, screwed, orotherwise suitably secured to the frames.

Carried by and in the side edge channel frame member I6 of each of thepanels i5 there is a retractable tongue 25, locking means in the form ora plurality of vertically spaced latching members or crank-hooks 26 andupper and lower retractable lock and locating members or pins 21. Theretractable tongue 25, in extended position, is adapted to interconnecta panel with another building member, such as another panel H3 or withthe corner member H and also is adapted to form weathertight jointstherewith. The crank-hooks 26 are adapted to draw the panel edgewisetoward another panel or toward the member I, as the case may be, andreleasably latch them together, thus additionally reinforcing thewall.The pins 2'| serve to locate thepanels |5- in desired relative positionsand also hold the panels at top and bottom against tendency ofthe panelsto sway. 1

The tongue 25 may be made of any suitable material but its outeredgeportion, as at 25", is preferably made of a strip 'of' compressible ordisplaceable resilient material, such as rubber, to insure aWeathertight fit in the groove of another building member, such as,another panel or in the corner member The tongue 25 is disposed'adjacentthe frame channel side 22, extending substantially coextensive therewithor extending substantially the height of the panel. Except for an outeredge portion along its length, the'tongue 25 is preferably received andtightly held in a metallic reinforcing channel 28 fitting thereover,extending preferably coextensive with the tongue. A side flange 29 ofthe reinforcing channel 28 slidably engages the inner surface of thechannel frame side member 22, thus serving a guide for the tongue 25.Yieldable means, preferably coil springs 24, urge the retractable tongue25 outwardly of the panel edge to insure that the tongue remains seatedin its groove, the springs 24 being suitably spaced along the length ofthe tongue. A pair of retainers 30 carried respectively by the tonguechannel 23 and by the frame channel It engage in the opposite ends ofthe coil springs 24 holding the springs in place. Extending along theopposite side edges of each of the panels |5from the tongue edge, thereis a facing 'strip or plate 3| provided with a vertically extendinggroove 32 to receive the retractable tongue 25 of an adjacent panel l5or of the corner member H, the groove, like the tongue, extendingsubstantially coextensive of the panel edge. The bottom of the groove 32is preferably rounded, as is the outer edge of the rubber portion 25 ofthe tongue, to facilitate the entering and withdrawing of the tongue,and further to ensure a good weathertight fit between the tongue and thegroove. The facing plate 3| is preferably made of sheet steel and may bewelded to the edges of the channel frame member sides 2|, 22, the outersurface of; the facin plate 3| being preferably flush with the sideedges of the panel finish sheets 23, as shown in Figure 2.

Laterally spaced from the tongue 25 in the frame |'6 the crank-hooks 26are pivotally mounted by pins 33 on individual plate-like brackets 34which are positioned between the crank-hooks 26 and the tongue 25. Thebrackets 34 are preferably parallel with the sides 2|, 22 of the panel side frame channel it and may be welded, or may be otherwise suitablysecured to the channel web 20. A lower portion 35 of the brackets 34,oifset toward the tongue 25, co-operates with the channel outer side 22to provide a guideway for the retractable tongue 25. In the groove edgeofeach panel |5,vertioally spaced looking or latching means in the formof keepers 36 are provided over which co-operable locking or latchingmeans, such as curved hook portions 31 of the crank-hook members 26,engage to draw and hold the panels |5 together edgewise. These keepers33 are preferably formed out ofthe facing plate 3| by cutting a tab outof the plate and rolling it down around a wire reinforcement intobead-like form extending along the lower edge of the slot, inwardly ofthe facing plate 3|. The cutting of the tabs out of the facing plate 3|leaves clearance slots 38 for. the crank-hooks 26. The hook portions;3'| of the crank-hooks 26 are preferably provided with an inner camsurface 39 for engaging the keepers 35 to urgethe panel edgewise, thekeepers 36 beingslightly resilen-tto increase friction with the hook camsurface 39. The crank-hooks 26 are preferably in; the form of' hellcranks, each carryinga laterally extending crank arm or connecting pinitof a lost-motion connection which operativelyconnects the crank-hooks 26to the tongue 25; Outer end" portions of the connecting pins 40 freelyengage respectively in slotsll pro-. vided in plates 42 ofthelost-motion connection, these plates being carried by and preferablyweld ed to the side ofthe tongue retainer channel 28' adjacent or facingthe crank-hooks 26. As shown, the slots 4| are elongated inthe-longitudinal di rection-ofthe tongue-and are-of a width to permitrelative; movement between the crank pins- 46 andthetongue. Thebottomsof-the elongated slots 4| serve asstopsfor the pins 60 whichengage therewith when the pinsare in below center positions showninFigure 5. The connecting pins 40 being freely movable in the slots 4|ofthe-tongue plates 42, it=will be'seen with reference-toFigureA of thedrawings that when thecrank-hooks 26- are rotated in a clockwisedirection, thetongue 25'through the connecting pins-40 will be-movedinwardly or retracted intothe panel and when the crank-hooks 26- arerotated in the opposite direction, the tongue 25 will be movedoutwardlyby the springs 24. In theretracted position of the tongues 25, the,

a panel may be readily removed from the walk acaaise without disturbingany of the other panels or without first removing all interconnectedpanels from an end of the wall.

The crank-hooks 26 are connected together for operation in unison by along connecting link 43 positioned in and extending longitudinally ofthe channel frame member I6. Pivot pins 4 4 carried by and extendinglaterally from corresponding sides of the crank-hooks 2B pivotallyconnect the crank-hooks to the link 43. The upper end of the link 43 ispivotally connected to the free end of a lever 46 which is pivotallymounted on the frame channel member IS, the lever 46 being pivotalyconnected to the lower end of the upper locking pin 27 by a connectinglink 41. The lower end of the link 43 is pivotally connected to one armof a manually operable bell crank 48 which is provided wtih a stub shaft50 rotatably journaled in a bushing 50 positioned in an aperture in thepanel frame channel member It, the other arm of the bell crank 48 beingconnected by a link it to the upper end of the lower looking andlocating pin 21. In the end of the bell crank shaft 5%], a socket 54 isprovided, accessible through a small aperture in the panel inner cover23, for receiving a wrench (not shown) or other suitable tool to turnthe bell crank 48 and thus actuate the tongue 25, crank-hooks 26 andpins 2'l. As shown in Figure 3, the top and bottom of the panel framechannel I6 are closed by plate 5! which may be welded to the channel. Inan aperture in each of these top and bottom plates 5I is rigidlysecured, such as by welding, a guide sleeve 52 for the pins 21, theouter ends of the sleeves being flush with the outer surfaces of the endchannel plate 5| These guide sleeves 52 are alignable respectively withsimilar sleeves 53 inserted in and secured to the roof and floor panelsto receive end portions of the pins 21 for locking the panels in placeand holding them against side sway.

At the groove edge of each of the panels I5, in

the frame channel I'I, there is a long connecting link 55 having itsupper end connected to a lever 58 which is connected by a short link 51to the lower end of the upper pin 21. Similarly, the lower end of theconnecting link 55 is connected to one arm of a manually operable bellcrank 58 having its other arm connected by a link 59 to the upper end ofthe lower pin 27. Like the other bell crank t8, the bell crank 58 isprovided in its inner face with a socket 60 to receive a tool, such as awrench, for operating the pins 2! in unison through the connecting link5-5. The alignable pin sleeves 52, 53, are the same as those previouslydescribed in connection with the other, or tongue side edge of the panelI5.

The above described retractable tongue 25, crank-hooks 26 and associatedmechanism may be duplicated, as shown, in the top and bottom framechannels I8 and I9 respectively of each of the panels I 5 forinterlocking and hooking the panels with the floor and ceiling. Thetongue, hooks and associated mechanism being the same I for the top andbottom edges of the panels as that I above described for the panel sideedges, like numerals have been given like parts in the drawings to avoidrepetitious description. As shown in Figures 9 and 10, the floor It androof panels I 4 are recessed to receive the tongue receiving groove 32formed in the facing plate 3|, the floor and roof panels being providedwith additional clearance recesses for hooks 26. The facing plates v 3 Imay be screwed or may be otherwise suitably secured to the roof and doorpanels, ad jacent the outer edges thereof.

In Figure 11, two end panels or right angle walls are shown releasalblyheld by the tongue 25, crank-hooks 2-3 and locating pins 21 to the corher post II. This post II may comprise a pair of upright channel membersIt, I! secured with their webs 2t flat against the inner adjacent sidesof an upright timber 64 so that the pairs of sides of the channelsextend at substantially right angles to each other. The upright timber64 serves as a corner filler and the filler and. channels may be coveredby interior and exterior cover sheets 65. The tongue 25, crank-hooks 2t,locating pins 27 and associated structure and .mechanism carried by thepost channel 20 are the same as that shown and described above in eachof the panels I5 and therefore are designated by like numerals on thedrawings in lieu of unnecessary repetitious description. While in thepresent disclosure, the invention is described in connection with thedirect attaching together of panels or of the direct attaching togetherof a panel and a post, it will be apparent that the invention embracesthe use between opposed, adjacent panel edges of tongue and groovedpanel joiners or strips. As a matter of fact, the post may be replacedby a non-load bearing building member, such as a corner, panel joinerprovided with the retractable tongue 25, crank-hook 2E and the locatingand holding pins 27.

In applying a panel to the building structure, let it be assumed thatthe crank-hooks 2t, locating pins 2:! and the tongue 25 are in theirrespective retracted or unlocked positions, as shown in Figure 5. In theretracted or unlocked positions of the parts, the crank pins 40 will beslightly below s-o-called dead center or below the line of the springforce on the pivots of the crankhooks 25, as shown, with the result thatthe springs 2s will be acting to hold r-eleasably the parts in thesepositions. The crank pins 40 engaging the lower ends of their slots 4Ilimit movement of the crank-hooks by the springs 24 in a clockwisedirection. After having located and aligned the guide sleeves 512, 53 ofthe locating pins 21, a wrench may be inserted in the socket 54 andapplied to turn the bell-crank lever 48 in a clockwise direction, facingFigure 3. This clockwise movement of the bell-crank lever 46 through theconnecting linkage, causes the crank-hooks 26 to be turned incounterclockwise directions, facing Figures 3, 4 and 5. When the crankpins 40 pass slightly above center of the line of force of the springs24 acting on the center of the crank-hook pins 33, it will be seen thatthe force of the springs 24 then acts to turn the crank-hooks 2'6counterclockwise. At the same time, through the connecting linkage, thelocating and holding pins 2'! are moved outwardly from the panel top andbottom edges into their respective guide sleeves 53 in the roof andfloor panels, the crank-hooks 26 are being moved toward engagement withtheir respective keepers 35 and the tongue 25 is being moved toward thegroove of the adjacent post or panel, as the case may be. The strengthof the springs 24 may be made such as to exert sufficient force to movethe crank-hooks, locating pins and tongue to- "ward their lockedpositions upon manual movement :of the crank pins .46 above center orthe springs may be only suiliciently strong to seat and hold the tonguetightly in its groove. In

7 'ment with the crank pins '40 as the parts are moved toward lockingpositions. The tongue 25 seats in its groove before the hook camsurfaces are drawn down tightly over the keepers 36. During thistightening down of the hooks, there is a lost motion between thecrank-hooks 26 and the tongue 25, the crank pins 40 moving away from theside edge of the slot 4| leaving the springs 24 free to exert theirentire force in holding the tongue 25 tightly in its groove, thusassuring a weathertight joint. The enlarged upper end of the slot 4| isfor clearance so that the pin 49 will not engage the edge of the slotwhen the hook is given its final tightening down turn. When the hooksare tightened down, the locating and holding pins 21 are moved to theirfinal positions in the guide inserts 54 in the floor and ceiling panels.Thus, the panel is held at its top and bottom edges by the pins 21 andalong its side edge by the hooks and by the weather sealing tongue 25 byreadily releasable means. Sealing of the joint is further aided by therubber edging 25 held under compression in its groove by the springs 24.

At the groove edge of the panel, the locating pins 27 are moved intotheir respective guide sleeves in the floor and roof panels by turningthe bell-crank lever 58 in a counterclockwise directi-on. Similarly, theretractable tongues 25 and crank-hooks 26 along with the top and bottomedges of the panels I5 are actuated for detachably connecting the panelto the roof and floor respectively and to move the tongues 25 into theirgrooves so as to form weathertight, interconnected joints with theadjacent structures.

To remove a panel from the wall, the wrench inserted in the socket 554and applied to turn the bell-crank lever 48 in a counterclockwisedirection, facing Figure 3. Through the connecting linkage, thecrank-hooks 26 are turned clockwise disengaging from their keepers 35and the locating and holding pins 2'! are moved outwardly or theirretainer sleeves 53. After predetermined lost motion turning of thecrankhooks 25 relative to the tongue 25, the crank pins il engage theside edge of the slot H and draw the tongue 25 out of its groove. Duringthis retracting of the locating pins 2! and the tongue 25, the springs24 are being compressed and when the pin 21 and tongue 25 are completelyretracted, the crank pins ill will engage against the lower ends oftheir slots M as stops. In these positions of the crank pins 33 belowcenter, the force exerted by the springs 24 will then act to hold thehooks, tongue, and locating pins 21 retracted. With the hooks, tongueand locating pins retracted, the panel may be removed from the wallwithout disturbing the other panels or posts. 7

From the above, it will be seen that I have provided a new and improvedprefabricated panel which may be readily applied and locked in its placein the wall structure without need of studding or panel joiners in orderto provide a strong, rigid wall. It will further be seen that regardlessof whether or not framing is used that, because of the retractabletongues, any one of the panels may be removed from the wall withoutdisturbing the others in the event that replacing or interchanging ofthe panels is desired. In addition, it wil be seen that although thetongues are retractable, they nevertheless act to insure tight jointsbetween the panels and to interconnect the panels, thus contributingtoward the provision of a rigid panel wall construction.

I claim:

1. A building element comprising, a member having an opening in asurface thereof, a retractable tongue positioned in the opening, theretractable tongue being movable out of the opening to engage withanother building element, a crank in the member positioned laterallyfrom the retractable tongue arranged to pivot in a plane substantiallyparallel to the direction of movement of the tongue, a hook on the crankto engage a keeper on the other building element arranged to draw thebuilding elements together with the tongue therebetween, a slot in thetongue, a pin carried by and laterally extending from the crank engagingin the slot, and manually operable means for actuating the crank.

2. A building element comprising, a member having an edge thereofprovided with an opening extending therealong, a retractable tonguecarried by the member and being retractable thereinto through theopening in the edge of the member, the retractable tongue being movableoutwardly of the member to engage another building element tointerconnect and form a weathertight joint therewith, a hook laterallypositioned in the member from the tongue, the hook being co-operablewith means on the other building element to draw and hold the memberthereto, a bracket interposed between the tongue and hook pivotallysupporting the hook for movement in a plane substantially parallel tothe direction of movement of the tongue, a portion of the bracketengaging and guiding the retractable tongue, means operativelyconnecting the hook and the tongue, and manually operable means foractuating the hook.

3. A building element comprising, a member having an elongated openingin a surface thereof, an elongated retractable tongue substantiallycoextensive of the elongated opening carried by the member, the tonguehaving an extended position and a retracted position, a pivoted hookcarried by the member for releasably locking the member to anotherbuilding element, a pin carried by the hook, a slot in the tonguereceiving the pin, the slot being sufiiciently larger than the pin toeffect a lost motion connection therebetween, a spring acting on thetongue to move the tongue to its extended position and holding thetongue in engagement with the pin, the pin being movable over center inone direction when the tongue is moved toward its extended position bythe spring and being movable over center in the opposite direction uponretraction of the tongue, stop means limiting movement of the pin by thespring in the said' op- 'posite direction, and manually operable meanscarried by the member for operating the hook.

'4. In a building wall construction, the combination comprising spacedapart first andsecond wall members, a panel member between the wallmembers, the threemembers forming-a continuous wall portion, the firstwall member and panel member having opposed edge surfaces forming ajoint, the second wall member and panel member having opposed edgesurfaces forming a second joint, a retractable'tongue extendingsubstantially coextensive with and along one of the opposed surfaces ofeach joint and being carried by one of the members adjacent therespective joint, a groove in and extending alo'n'g the other edge"surface of each joint substantially coextensive thereof and receivingthe retractable tongue, resilient means'ca-rried by each member carryinga retractable tongue for urging the tongue into the respective groovefor releasably locking the members together and also for sealing therespective joint therebetween, retracting means carried by each of themembers carrying a retractable tongue operable to retract theretractable tongue out of the respective groove, keeper means carried byone of the members adjacent each joint, cooperating looking meanscarried by the other member adjacent each joint, each locking meansbeing movable from a non-locking position free of the respective keepermeans into a locking position in engagement with the respective keepermeans, each locking means and the respective keeper means beingcooperable to draw the members adjacent the respective joint edgewisetoward each other against the action of the resilient means uponmovement of the locking means from the nonlocking position to thelocking position, and manually operable means carried by each of saidother adjacent members for operating the looking means to the lockingand non-locking positions.

5. The building wall construction claimed in claim 4, in which each ofthe locking means is carried by a member carrying a retractable tongueand which includes means connecting each of the locking means to therespective retractable tongue so that upon movement of the locking meansto the non-locking position, the tongue is retracted from the respectivegroove and upon movement of the locking means to the looking position,the tongue is released so that the resilient means urges the tongue intothe groove.

6. A building member having two opposite elongated side edge surfaces,an elongated opening in a first one of the edge surfaces extendingsubstantially coextensive of the surface, an elongated retractabletongue positioned in the opening extending substantially coextensivethereof, resilient means urging the retractable tongue being movableoutwardly of the member to engage in a tongue receiving groove ofanother building element, a tongue receiving groove extending along thesecond one of the edge surfaces to receive such a retractible tongue ofanother building element, locking means laterally positioned in themember from the tongue and engageable with cooperable keeper means onanother building ele ment, keeper means at the second one of the edgesurfaces laterally positioned from the groove for engagement by suchlocking means on another building element, and manually operable meansoperatively connected to the retractable tongue and to the first namedlocking means for retracting the tongueand operating the first namedlocking means to a non-locking position and for moving the tongueoutwardly and operating the first named locking means to the lockingposition whereby a plurality of such building members can be connectedtogether side by side.

7. The building member claimed in claim 6 in which the manually operablemeans includes lost motion means connecting the retractable tongue andlocking means.

ADOLPH F. THELANDER.

REFERENCES CITED The fcllowing references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 313,876 McArthur Mar. 17, 1885681,683 Edwards Sept. 3, 1901 692,181 Cook Jan. 28, 1902 814,802 PotterMar. 13, 1906 818,443 Holden Apr. 24, 1906 946,305 Abbott Jan. 11, 1910946,863 Pfeifer Jan. 18,1910

1,036,316 Forsyth Feb. 3, 1914 1,558,954 Walker Oct. 27, 1925 2,291,782Allring Aug. 4, 1942 2,340,864 Carpenter Feb. 8, 1944

